Rae Whitlock is a multidisciplinary creator from Richmond, Virginia. She earned a MFA in Performance Art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Some of her previous self-published comics include: Infinite Planes (2018), How to Draw a Snake Eating Its Own Ponytail (2019), Dear Rachel Whitlock (2021), I Am of the Nature to Die (2023), Goldfish, Part 1 (2024), and the collection, Wild Tone Shift (2025).
Whitlock’s newest comic, Medium, is the story of supernatural influencer Bethany and her collaboration with fellow searchers for the unknown, Tyler and Mark. They are gathered at an old house, hoping that Bethany can connect with…someone or something. She bonds with Mark, the tech, as they are prepping the segment and gives her background as a mother and sensitive, talking about her husband’s support of her “ghost-tracking” and “intuitive reading” videos. She confesses to Mark her doubts about her abilities, and he tells Bethany about how he got started documenting the paranormal. The quiet dialogue is interrupted from time to time by the odd noise or random object moving. The filming of the segment begins and the slow building of tension doesn’t let up as Bethany tries to connect with whatever the trio senses or want to believe is in the house.
Rae Whitlock’s Medium is a rare example in alternative comics where the writing is just as intense as the art. The pacing of the story is sublime, from the first scene-setting page with Bethany turning around to look out the window, to halfway through the book with a full-page of Bethany bathed in darkness looking into a mirror as if utterly alone, after failing at a “mirror scrye”. Much of the story unfolds through the dialogue between the three characters, especially between Bethany and Mark showing their connection growing throughout the story. It’s so great to find a comic where the boundaries of “narrative” in sequential narrative are pushed along with the art.
Speaking of art, Rae Whitlock chose an unusual approach to bringing Medium to life, using just #2 and 8B pencils on copy paper. The undefined effect this produces is appropriate to the overall mood for which Whitlock is going. Everything is delineated in a haze, including panel borders and lettering, subtly giving each panel a feel of unreality. This fits perfectly with the slow burn of Bethany’s experience and our perception of that as readers.
Comics Blogger Books continues to bring out comics that don’t fit in any genre or category, Thomas Campbell has another completely unique release in Rae Whitlock’s Medium.
Rae Whitlock (W/A) • Comics Blogger Books, $12.00
Review by Gary Usher
